Before the Worst: An Origin Story
by catiebugg
Summary: Taking place five years before Mass Effect, Vera Landen has left her colony and just arrived on the Citadel for the first time. She quickly conforms to the norms of the space station. She reunites with childhood friend Kedzie James, and meets plenty of new people, including C-Sec officer Garrus Vakarian, and maybe most important, an Alliance Navy man named Kaidan Alenko.
1. 1

_1_

_Year of 2178_

_So much better than the vids!_

Vera Landen stepped out onto the docking area of the Citadel space station, barely glancing behind her at space cruiser that brought her to this wonderful place full of new, exciting opportunities. The twenty-two year old slowly spun on her heels, taking in the breathtaking sight of ships zipping in and out of the docks. Her big, green eyes sparkled under the bright lights of the Citadel, the considered-central hub of the entire galaxy.

Her moment was ruined, though, by the rush of colonists behind her who wanted to do the same thing, as well as a few grumpy natives to the space station that yearned to escape the gaping newcomers. The large bag that held most of her clothes and other possessions was nearly jostled from her shoulder as she was pushed and shoved from behind by the mob. Vera yelped, jumping out of the way of the stream of people before she was overrun. Brushing a loose strand of light brown hair back into place, Vera readjusted the strap of her bag before melding in with the crowd. The people-river was heading towards the main elevator that led from the docks to the center of Citadel Security Academy.

"Only so many can fit at once-_spirits, just wait your turn!_"

A turian officer that was getting very angry very fast was standing at the elevator entrance, pushing the hoard back as the first set of tourists traveled down the elevator. Vera was always interested in the other species throughout the galaxy, and turians were one of her favorites with their fringe, mandibles, and distinctive face paint that told which colony they belonged to. This particular turian bore dark blue paint, and Vera wished she knew what color meant what colony. Then, she was startled to find that she was at the front of the crowd, the turian putting a three-fingered hand on her shoulder to hold her back.

"Just wait, ma'am, please." He said with his strange, flanging vocal tone, which had lost its frustrating strain and was replaced with pure exhaustion.

"Oh, of course, yes." Vera replied, stepping to the side to stand next to him. "I'll just wait, go last. If that's alright?"

The turian gave her a quizzical look, waving in the next bunch of spacers to be zoomed down. His small, blue eyes held her gaze without anxiety. If anything, he looked amused. It made her want to smile. And so she did.

"If you really want to, sure. S'pose it would be easier for me." He paused, holding back the mass once more. "Or would it…?"

Vera laughed, which got a strange looking expression from the turian that she supposed was a smile. As he waved in the next group, he held out his other to Vera. It took her a second to realize that he wanted to shake her hand.

"Garrus Vakarian of C-Sec, Investigation Division." The turian introduced himself as they shook hands.

"Vera Landen of…" She trailed off, trying to think of what to say. Her colony? Or should she say 'of the Citadel' now? How about both? She pulled back her shoulders and proudly finished her introduction. "…formerly of New Canton and presently of the Citadel."

Now it was Garrus' turn to laugh. He gestured in the next, and last, cluster of visitors into the elevator. She leaned against the railing running along the dock's walkway as the final bunch was stuffed into the elevator.

"How did you get stuck with this if you're in the Investigation Division?" asked Vera as the elevator began another descent.

"Beats me," Garrus answered gruffly, crossing his arms and leaning against the railing next to her. "Not much has been going on, surprisingly, so I guess the administration is just throwing us wherever we can help. No matter what division we're in."

"Well, that's dumb." Vera commented, as the elevator zoomed back up.

"You're tellin' me." The turian muttered, stretching out his arm in the 'ladies first' gesture.

Vera grinned, pushing herself off the railing and into the open elevator. Garrus followed her in, and the glass doors slid shut behind him. He huffily punched the down button before crossing his arms again.

"If it wasn't for my father, I wouldn't even be here…"

He trailed off, and Vera respectively let the topic drop. She knew where peoples' boundaries were, where the line was specifically drawn. Plus, this was a complete stranger. It wasn't her business. Noticing the awkward air that began to sift in on the ride down, Garrus turned his head to look over at Vera.

"So, if you don't mind me asking, what brought you to the Citadel? Is there anything I can help you with?" Vera noted how his voice didn't insinuate anything provocative or seductive; he genuinely wanted to assist without anything in return.

"I got sick of my colony," Vera replied, happy to have met a decent person already. "I wanted to see something new, and just explore, you know?"

Garrus nodded, actually paying attention to her words. That was something new to her. Back home, there wasn't anyone for her to talk to, really. Except for Connor. Vera had to hold back a gag at the thought of him. Garrus titled his head, inquiring to Vera's sudden silence. She cleared her throat and continued on with a slightly forced grin.

"Plus, a good friend of mine moved here years ago. I've been meaning to visit, but things happened…" She paused as her thoughts again landed on Connor, but quickly continued before Garrus could inquire; he had a right to know where her line was, too. "Anyway, you might know her. She works in C-Sec. Kedzie James?"

His immediate reaction was comforting, but not, at the same time. He knew who she was, indeed. The turian tossed his head back and laughed, echoing throughout the little space of the elevator. Once he recovered, he gave an apologetic look.

"Oh, man. James? Yeah, I know her, all right." Garrus explained as the elevator door slid open. He gestured for her to follow him, and Vera gladly shuffled after him as she took in the Academy. "Crazy bitch, she is. Hope you don't take offense to that. She takes it as a _complement_."

"Sounds like Kedzie, definitely." Vera assured with a smile as she watched the various species walk by her; more turians, a few salarians, and even a krogan! (There were humans, of course, but Vera didn't really care much for her own species, having lived with them for twenty-two years.) It was wonderful!

"But, yeah, she's with the Internal Affairs Unit." continued Garrus, taking them down a flight of stairs that led to a hallway. "Gets the job done, no matter what. I like that about her."

"So you guys are friends?" She ventured warily as they paused outside a door along the hall with Garrus typing something on a holo-pad embedded in the wall; IA agents were not looked highly upon by other cops, or so Vera's heard.

"Oh, yeah. If she doesn't have a problem with me, I don't have a problem with her." Garrus looked over his shoulder and gave that smiling expression again. "Let's just say that I've always met with her on…good terms."

The door slid open, revealing an office. There were a couple turians crowded around a desk, staring at one turian's screen. It sounded like news coverage about something utterly dull to Vera. A few other desks were scattered about, and a human female was hunched over one in the far corner. Her shoulder length, pale blond hair was messily yanked up into a ponytail with her straight-across bangs playing about her equally pale brown eyes.

"Well, you haven't changed much, have you?" Vera said aloud, startling the group of turians for but a second before they realized that this human wasn't addressing them and went back to their screen.

But, the other human in the room was suddenly up and out of her chair, dashing across the room to crash into Vera's arms, screaming the whole way like a banshee. The childhood friends squealed with absolute delight, getting harsh looks from the turians. Garrus, noticing this, pulled the now-gabbing pair into a small adjourning room before closing the door privately behind.

"Oh, my God, Vera! Why didn't you tell me you were coming-?"

"I wanted it to be a surprise! I-!"

"Well, I'll leave you two to it then, hm?" Garrus shouted over them.

Kedzie turned her bright smile onto the turian. She playfully knocked her fist against his shoulder. He gave an uneasy smile, unconsciously showing Vera his true feelings for Kedzie: He respected her a whole hell of a lot, that was true, but her renegade attitude about her job and how she does it, that even comparable to Garrus', made him a bit nervous. Vera laughed aloud at piecing this together, quickly covering her mouth with her fist to hide it.

"Thanks, Garrus." said Kedzie sincerely. "If you hadn't had found little Vera here, who knows what would've happened to her…"

"Hey, hey, I'm quite capable of taking care of myself." Vera interjected defensively.

As the two began to continue their banter, Garrus rolled his eyes and began to creep backwards, out of the room. But he wasn't going to get away _that _easily. Kedzie made sure of that as she grabbed the large collar of the turian's armor, tugging him back.

"But seriously, Garrus," Kedzie continued, keeping her grip on him as Garrus began to squirm uncomfortably. "We're good friends, right? Right. And I appreciate what you did. You didn't have to help this alien-lover of a human."

"Hey-!"

"It was nothing, James." Garrus assured, carefully prying Kedzie's hand from his armor. "It's nice to meet a friendly face every now and then. Nice to meet you, Vera. Maybe I'll see you around?"

"Nice to meet you, too, Garrus." Vera responded with her ever present smile. "And I hope so."

Garrus nodded, his smiling expression flashing across his face before he left the room to just to the two women. Kedzie snapped her head around to look at Vera. One eyebrow was raised with a questioning air, Kedzie's lips twisted up into a suggestive smirk.

"Oh, goodness, _no_." Vera quickly shouted at realizing what her friend's face was for. "He seems nice enough, Kedzie, but I'm not getting involved with someone right now."

"Aw shit, Vera." Her friend moaned, lips dropping down in defeated frown. "You two would be perfect together! I've known Garrus for a long time, and it would be all sorts of adorable."

"That's not why I came to the Citadel, Kedzie-"

"Why did you come, anyway?" Kedzie interrupted, collapsing onto the sofa in the small break room. "You didn't come all this way just to see me, did you?"

Vera sighed, dropping her bag to the floor before flopping beside her friend. She leaned her head back against the upholstery, staring up at the ceiling.

"That's part of it, yes, but I wanted to _do_ something with my life, Kedzie." Vera explained, tossing her hands in the air with a flourish (Vera was one to talk with her hands). "Of course, my mom wasn't too upset over me leaving. And I won't even touch the subject of Connor." Just saying his name left a bad taste in her mouth. "I needed something new, something exciting. I figured that the Citadel was perfect for this."

Kedzie bobbed her head along in agreement, making a face when Connor was mentioned. Long story short, Connor was an insane douchebag that treated Vera _very_ terribly before he left the colony for good. But not without leaving her broken and scarred, both emotionally and physically. It was a topic Vera didn't like to speak of.

"Something new, huh? And exciting?" Kedzie murmured, mostly to herself as a thought began to grow in her head. "I have it! Vera, dear, you can get a job with C-Sec!" She bounced up from the sofa, hands at her cheeks with excitement. "We could be _partners!_"

Vera raised her eyebrows with surprise and uncertainty. It certainly would be something new, but something like this? Working under cover to nail the back guys within C-Sec and possibly become one of the most hated people on the Citadel?

"Hell," Vera muttered. "Why not?"

* * *

With Kedzie's very impressive track record, it was relatively easy to get Vera the job. The administration was willing to do anything for their star undercover agent, and maybe getting her a partner will double Kedzie's already incredible results.

The supervisors were very impressed with Vera's easy conformity to the job expectations. Vera was always one for self-defense, especially after the whole Connor situation. She already knew how to defend herself with just her hands and disarm any foe with ease. The colonist was even able to get some training in with a pistol back home. Plus, it helped that she could easily blend with other human females with her normal looks.

Within a few weeks, Vera had basic training down pat and was ready to go out on the job. During her basic training, Vera had Garrus for a few sessions, and the two quickly became good friends as they beat each other with the flats of their hands and fists. For awhile, Vera was afraid that Garrus would ask her out on a date, but it was like he knew better than to ask such a thing. There was an unsaid mutual decision about it, a silent pact that announced they would just be great friends. Vera was glad to have Garrus as a friend with his witty responses to pretty much everything and careless attitude toward, well, pretty much everything. And, it was pretty sweet that he was a turian, too. She'd never met a different species before, much less have one has a friend. It was amazing and, indeed, exciting.

At first, she lived in the recruitment facilities of the Academy, but once her training was finished, Vera moved in with Kedzie in an apartment complex not far from the Academy. The apartment was a modest size with a bedroom that housed two beds, a bathroom with a state-of-the-art shower, a kitchen with everything a chef would need, and a front room that had a loveseat with matching chairs, a coffee table, and a screen on the wall that constantly had the new Blasto movie on pause (Every time Kedzie would try to finish it, she'd be called to work or remember something important that she had to do). That first night Vera moved in, they finished the movie to Kedzie's elation and Vera's relief.

Vera fit in so perfectly on the Citadel it was like she was meant to live on the space station. She cursed herself for not leaving home sooner.

Just as the partners were leaving their apartment to trudge over to work and get their first job together, Vera spotted him at the end of the stairs. She slid to a complete stop with one foot on the first step, entranced by this human male talking a bit heatedly with another human. His uniform gave it away immediately; an Alliance Navy man. Kedzie was halfway down the stairs before she turned to see Vera ogling at the man.

"Vera? Let's go, we can sight see after our shift." Kedzie climbed back up to her friend, grabbing her arm.

The man had shoved the Navy man in the chest, and then the Navy man made a gesture like "I'm-done-with-this", and began to storm away, leaving…

Vera had to find out who this was.

She sprinted down the steps, taking two at time as well as dragging Kedzie along with her. And then she was falling, tumbling down the stairs. Her grip on Kedzie was lost as Vera very ungracefully stumbled down, head over feet, till she landed, sprawled, at the foot of the stairwell, right in front of the Navy man.

His not-so-pale-but-not-exactly-dark-brown eyes widened at the sight of her. He blinked, once and then twice, before his gentlemanly instincts kicked in. The man offered Vera a hand and a smile. _God, that smile_, Vera thought as she grinned back stupidly and took his hand.

"You took quite a tumble, there, ma'am." He said as he pulled her up, his voice the perfect mix of deep and high, and Vera gladly took note that his touch on her hand lingered longer than necessary. "You alright?"

"Oh, yes. I just-stairs and I aren't the best of friends." _Smooooooth, Landen. Super smooth._

"I could tell," He laughed, running a hand through his dark brown hair. "Well, ma'am, you best get better aquatinted with stairs. This may be the most technologically advanced place in the galaxy, but there happen to be more stairs around than you think."

"That's probably a good idea," She said, only slightly stumbling over her own words. "I'm Vera, Vera Landen. Thank you for not laughing at that display of mine."

"How could I laugh when that 'display' let me meet you, Miss Landen?" He replied smoothly, that smile creeping back up on his handsome face.

Vera blushed immediately, numbly mumbling sounds as she tried to find words. No one ever made her crumble so easily, not even Connor. The man offered his hand again, this time in order to shake. She hoped her hand didn't look desperate as it flew to meet his.

"Kaidan Alenko of the Alliance Navy, Miss Landen."

_What was it with people here saying 'of blah de blah'?_ Vera thought while thinking about how proper and cute this Kaidan was at the same time. Kedzie rolled her eyes from her position behind Vera, starting to get impatient.

"Vera, I'd hate to break up this little…whatever it is," Kedzie stepped in, curling her fingers around her dazed friend's arm. "But we gotta go to work. You know, since it is like your first day."

"Oh, my apologies." Kaidan said, looking at Kedzie for the first time, but only for the briefest moment before looking back at Vera. "I didn't mean to keep you from work. You best get goin', Miss Landen."

"Just Vera would be alright," Vera murmured shyly even as Kedzie began pulling her away.

"I know this may seem forward, Vera," Kaidan called as the pair got farther and farther away. "But could we see each other again?"

Having lost the capability to use to her mouth and work her vocal chords, Vera could only nod enthusiastically in response with a smile that was beginning to hurt her face. Kaidan waved, a soft grin playing about his lips before Kedzie had yanked Vera around the corner and he was out of sight.

"What the hell was _that?_" Kedzie shot at her friend, but her tone had something that sounded like pride.

"I…I don't know…" Vera turned her head, hoping to catch a glimpse of this man who had stolen her heart within seconds.

* * *

As one can imagine, it was very hard for Vera to focus on her first day after that incidence. Thankfully, there wasn't much to do because as it turned out, the girls were too late to get their assignment. It was given to someone else, giving Kedzie a good reason to glare at Vera the whole day for making them miss it. Kedzie tried to pry a new assignment from her supervisors, but they honestly had nothing else. Garrus was right; the Citadel was on the quiet side of criminal activity. Kedzie and Vera spend most of the day just sitting in the offices Garrus first brought Vera to with Garrus himself coming to visit for a little bit, but Kedzie made sure to show Vera the Citadel since they had nothing better to do but sit around and do paperwork.

"I know it isn't some dark, mysterious, and handsome stranger, but I figured you'd like a tour of the Wards." Kedzie told her as they strolled about. "The Wards make up the arms of the Citadel, holding the residential and commercial segments of the station. It's nothing too impressive, but maybe to a colonist like you…"

"Was that supposed to be offensive?" Vera ventured, half-listening to her friend's tour speech while half-searching for Kaidan in the crowds.

"Only if you want it to be, dear. Anyway, the Wards are just like a big city back on Earth. Some even consider the Wards to be the cultural heart of the Citadel, and maybe even the galaxy because of-okay, you could at least pretend to listen."

Vera peeked over at Kedzie, not even aware of her lack of attention. She gave an apologetic shrug paired with a grin. Kedzie rolled her eyes, looping her arm through Vera's.

"He wouldn't be down here, Vera. If anything, he'd be up by the Presidium."

"Can we go there next?"

Kedzie laughed, and Vera realized how much she missed her friend. Her laugh was deep and infectious, just as she remembered, causing Vera to giggle along. They made it to the commercial section of the Wards, various vendors of different species calling out to the masses for their new wares. A volus, one of Vera's least liked species because their breathy speech got on her nerves fast, was attempting to argue with another volus. From what Vera could catch, it was about an item the first volus bought from the other that was unsatisfactory. And it was becoming very annoying to her.

"Welcome to the markets," Kedzie announced, throwing her free arm out with a flourish and taking Vera's attention away from the short, stumpy volus. "A place where you never want to go alone."

"What?"

"Don't worry, we're just passing through."

And before Vera could open her mouth, the two were on the outer rim of the markets, leaving the shouting and haggling behind. Kedzie towed Vera onward, curving around the markets and backtracking to the C-Sec offices.

"I could show you Flux or Chora's Den, the clubs down here in the Wards, but I don't think you're ready for that yet." continued Kedzie with a dismissive wave. "We should be heading back to the offices, anyway. That paperwork isn't gonna do itself, unfortunately."

"You sure we can't see the Presidium?"

Kedzie laughed again. "Not today, Vera."

* * *

Somewhat disgruntled because she didn't do anything work related that day and _very_ disgruntled that she didn't run into Kaidan again, Vera trudged home with Kedzie. Kedzie was going on and on about this case she had just solved days before Vera's arrival. Vera found herself three-forths listening to Kedzie and one-forth searching desperately for his face.

But she knew it was hopeless once they reached their apartment door.

Kedzie opened her omni-tool to unlock the door. Her fingers brushed across the orange holo-glove with a habitual air. The door slid apart, and just before Vera skulked in after her friend, she thought she heard a voice call her name.

Of course, it was her imagination playing tricks on her. And Vera began to wonder why she was so hung up on this one guy whom she met once as the door closed behind her with an annoying sense of finality. Ever since Connor, she'd turned a cold shoulder to the opposite sex of her species, refusing to get romantically involved with or even close to anyone of the sort. What made Kaidan different? What about him made her heart gasp the same way Connor, regretfully, used to? Was it his warm smile and friendly disposition? What the hell was it?

"Damn, Vera." Kedzie murmured, taking note of her friend's completely drained appearance. "I've never seen you like this. Not even when you vid-chatted with me about Connor."

Vera only shrugged, pulling the hair tie free to let her light brown hair brush past her shoulders. She scratched her scalp, heading towards the bathroom. She needed to be alone, have time to think. And as she turned the shower on and the hot steam filled the room, she suddenly never felt so alone.

The young woman wrapped her arms around herself, letting the scorching water smack against her skin and dribble down her naked, exposed, and scarred body. Her fingers scratched at her arms, frantically trying to find something solid to hold onto, something to anchor her in the present, in the now. But it was too late. Vera's mind was already spiraling of its own accord back to the past, to when her life changed forever…

* * *

_Year of 2174, New Canton_

Connor Cyprus was a good kid, didn't get into underage drinking or red sand and all that other bad stuff. Ideally, he was the perfect candidate for a boyfriend. No, he was just _perfect_. And Vera was determined to have him. Not just because he was perfect (although it didn't hurt that he was also drop-dead gorgeous with navy blue eyes, caramel skin, and dark red hair), but also because he was just a nice kid and good friend. They started dating their senior year, going on for about two years without any problems. She adored him, and Vera thought them to be in love.

But, then Connor started behaving strangely. He would call off their dates and disappear for days on end. It worried Vera immensely, and it didn't help that his parents covered for him. "Oh, he's gone to a concert with his friends," "He wanted some time to himself, dear," "You know Connor. He's probably out in the quarries again, digging up new things, or whatever it is he goes excavating for."

And, when he would return, his demeanor would change drastically. He became…violent, Vera usually being his way to get his episodes out. At first, it was a small slap or smack, nothing too physical, but it made Vera wary. She tried to talk to Connor about it, but that only made him more upset. That was when the punches and the bruising they left started. He wasn't leaving as much now, but Vera was ironically wishing he did.

She tried to escape him in any way other than leaving the colony itself. And Vera knew better than to tell anyone. Besides, the only person she could tell was her mother, and Vera's mother didn't like Connor to begin with, so all Vera would get from her mother who sometimes pretends to be a mother was a snarky retort. Vera didn't need that, so she put up with Connor's beatings for nearly a year.

When the cutting started, Vera knew she had to get away from him. Connor would hold her down, his knife digging into the bare, pale skin of her shoulders, upper thighs, and even along her spine. At the sight of her dark red blood, Vera was horrified to see a gleam of pleasure behind Connor's once-considered beautiful eyes. The cuts overlapped each other, and the one along her spine spelled out 'love'. That's what he would whisper to her as his knife sliced open her skin.

"This is for love, Vera." His voice was always eerily calm and soft while the flat of the blade stroked Vera's face before he cut into her body. "Love…"

One night, he went too far. With an expert swipe, the blade cut open the front of Vera's shirt. She screamed, face red with embarrassment as Connor traced her bra gently with the knife's tip.

"Love," He whispered again, his tongue whipping out to wet his lips.

Just as the knife began to slide under the cup of her bra, Vera lashed out for the first time in weeks. The flat of her palm flew up, hitting Connor right under his chin. He cried out, rolling off her as he cradled his face. Seeing him writhing in agony gave Vera a burst of strength. She screamed, kicking him in the gut as her new cuts screamed back in protest.

"You deserved that and more, you son of a bitch." Vera spat in his ear, but her revenge was short-lived.

Connor slashed up at her, and Vera tried to jerk back but he managed to catch the blade on the lower part of her sternum between her breasts, leaving a jagged line of blood. She yelped, pulling her shirt together and putting pressure on the unexpectedly deep cut. Draining the rest of her resolve with one last shriek, Vera kicked him in the head. Connor's knife fell from his grasp as he collapsed onto his back, unconscious.

Then, she ran back home in tears.

She admitted everything to her mother, who, surprisingly, didn't reproach her daughter but comforted her and tended to her new cuts. She was actually being a mother, and a good one, at that. Her mother even teared up at Vera's cut on her chest. That blew Vera's mind; never before has her mother shown such emotion. _She chooses now of all times to be a mother to me?_ Vera thought bitterly, but she really very thankful for her mother's strange and unanticipated change as she gingerly cleaned Vera's wounds.

After Vera was clean and patched back up, her mother said there was an operation available to get rid of the scars, but Vera insisted on keeping them. They were a part of her now, whether she wanted them to be or not.

Of course, Connor was gone the next morning along with one of the small cruisers kept in the colony's rarely-used dock. His parents were conveniently out of town, too.

The Cypruses never came back to New Canton.

Vera wanted to go after him, to find him and made him pay for all the misery he gave her. Because of him, she was left scarred, anxious, and very cautious towards the opposite sex of humans. He ruined her life, and she _hated_ him for it. She never did find out what Connor did when he disappeared, what made him change. Then again, Vera didn't really care anymore. She just wanted to see _him_ bleed for once.

* * *

Vera gasped at Kedzie's timid knock on the bathroom door, her fingers frozen on the scar between her breasts. She heard her friend ask something worriedly, probably if she was alright, so Vera shouted an assurance. Of course, Kedzie didn't believe it, but there wasn't much else she could do.

Kedzie waited outside the door, her ear against it as she listened for any other sounds. A few minutes passed before she heard the shower get turned off. _I just had to bring up Connor. Shit, Kedzie, shit._ She thought bitterly to herself as she walked across the room to the kitchen.

Kedzie was gone before Connor ever came along, having left with her military-dressed father at the age of seven to the Citadel. Every time Vera would be yanked back into the past during their vid-chats and now in person, Kedzie wished she stayed around. This Connor kid had ruined her best friend's life, left her with countless scars that Kedzie has only heard about in breathless whispers dripping with anxiety. And she knew better than to ask Vera about it. Even after four years, it was a very touchy subject, and Kedzie couldn't blame her. Memories fade, but scars are forever.

Another half hour or so passed before Vera came out of the bathroom with a white robe wrapped securely around her small figure. Kedzie glanced up from her work in the kitchen, chopping up some vegetables for an asari stir-fry recipe she found on the extranet. Vera briskly walked across the front room, but gave pause at the smell from a pot on the stove. Kedzie gave her a smirk.

"Those asari sure know their food, huh?" Kedzie gestured to the pot with her knife before going back to work. "It did call for asari tentacles, strange enough, but I replaced it with something else, don't worry."

"And what would that be?" Vera said sarcastically. "Turian fringe?"

"Have you seen those things? There's no meat on 'em!" shot back Kedzie playfully. "Stuff we're used to, alright? It should be done soon, so don't be goin' anywhere!"

Vera rolled her eyes (_Where would I go?_), continuing across the room with a much better state of mind. She went into her bedroom, closing the door softly. As Vera stripped herself of her robe, she faintly heard Kedzie beginning to sing along with a muffled song. It sounded terrible, of course, but it made Vera smile. Her fingers lingered on her bare skin, tracing the all too familiar scars laced across her shoulders. With a shiver, Vera quickly pulled on a black hoodie and a pair of Kedzie's charcoal Bermudas. Comfortable and clean, Vera came back into the main room, leaning on the counter Kedzie was still using to cut up more food. She pulled the sleeves over her hands, letting her chin rest on her black-covered fists. Her large green eyes watched Kedzie closely with interest, trying to be as bothersome as possible just because.

"You can help, you know." Kedzie finally said pointedly, taking a break from her singing and turning down the radio with a free hand. "And you should ask before you just decide to wear other peoples' clothes."

"Meh," Vera muttered, walking around the counter to find some way to assist.

Kedzie handed her the knife she was using without even thinking about it, but Vera didn't even think about it either. Surprisingly, Vera didn't have a problem with knifes. It was just _him_ she had a problem with. Kedzie paused, though, watching Vera carefully as Vera began where Kedzie left off. Vera pulled up her hoodie's sleeves to her elbows, glancing at the knife to Kedzie's concerned expression.

"I'm fine," Vera said gently as her friend kept her gaze on her. "Is there anything else I could do since you've annihilated most of these poor veggies?"

"Oh, har har, but yeah. Once you're done choppin', go on and dump them in the pot, then you could-"

A knock on their door gave Kedzie pause. Kedzie hitched up an eyebrow, wondering who this could be at this rather late hour. She exchanged a look with Vera, a "Don't-look-at-me" type of look. Vera sighed sharply through her nose, though a smile was on her face.

"No, no. Don't worry. I'll answer the door." Vera put the knife back down before marching over to the door. "I know that's scary and all."

As the door slid open, Vera realized that she wasn't wearing any undergarments under her hoodie and shorts, and so that made it immediately awkward when it turned out that Kaidan Alenko was standing just outside the door.


	2. 2

_2_

It took every fiber of Vera's being not to scream and force the door to slide back closed with her own hands because it would take too long for the door to close itself (which, wasn't necessarily true since the doors slid open and closed within a blink of an eye, but it _still_ wouldn't be fast enough for Vera). Even then she released a little cry, the sound barely issuing from her slightly parted lips. Her skin went cold, and she was very grateful that the hoodie she was wearing was very loose as her whole body went up in goose bumps.

"Vera," Kaidan said with a smile that reflected what she thought as relief, which only added to her goose pimples.

"K-kaidan!" Vera sputtered, crossing her arms across her chest just for good measure. "What, what are you doing here?"

"I know, you must think me as some kind of stalker, right?" _No, not really_. "But I just had to see you again."

At the sound of Kedzie's muffled sniggers, Vera sharply turned her head back to narrow her green eyes threateningly at her friend. Kedzie's giggles paused at Vera's glare, but quickly continued on, not intimidated in the least. When Vera turned back to Kaidan, he was glancing over Vera's shoulder at Kedzie.

"Why don't we step out for a moment, hm?" Vera quickly suggested, putting a timid hand on Kaidan's shoulder to push him out into the hallway.

The last thing Vera needed was Kedzie to ruin this for her.

"Was I interrupting something?" He asked, truly concerned if he did indeed interrupt something.

Vera noticed that her hand was still on his shoulder, and, more importantly, that neither had a problem with it being there. Her fingers curled in, ready to withdraw her touch, but part of her wanted it to stay. Before Vera could lose her mind over whether she should keep her hand on his shoulder or not, she remembered that he asked her something and that she was expected to answer.

"Oh, no, no." She assured, finally deciding to bring her hand back down to her side albeit with hesitation. "My friend and I were just making some dinner…" And, before Vera could think about how Kedzie would react to this, which would be with much annoyance, she asked, "Would you like to join us?"

His face lit up immediately, and Vera knew she had her answer before he spoke. But, then she realized what she just asked. She just escaped into the hallway to get away from Kedzie, and now Vera was inviting Kaidan back _inside_ to have dinner with them both?

"If it's not a bother, I'd love to-"

"It is," Vera shouted suddenly, putting her hand back on his shoulder, but with more force behind it as he stepped forward expectantly.

His brown eyes flashed with confusion, and then hurt, and then confusion _and_ hurt. Vera was never very good at talking with human men, even before Connor came around. But, with Connor, it became surprisingly easy to speak with him, natural even, as they spent more time together.

It appeared that talking with Kaidan was a totally different thing. Her tongue felt like it was literally tied in a knot, and her head, she discovered, became all clouded and foggy around him. Vera couldn't think straight in this barely-an-acquaintance's presence.

She never believed in any of the fairytales her mother used to tell her back when Vera's mother actually was a mother. She didn't think 'true love' or 'love at first sight' were real. She thought it childish and petty, even as a child herself. It was so irrational, yet here was this man sending her heart flying, drying her throat up and leaving her absolutely breathless.

"No," She corrected quickly, trying so hard to fix everything. No way she was losing him now. "It's just that, well, I'm not so sure that…" Goodness, she was making things worse, if anything.

Kaidan looked between her touch and her eyes, his eyebrows knit together with puzzlement. Oh, how Vera wished she could smooth out the creases in his forehead with a gentle brush of her fingers…

_Focus, Vera!_

"I-I just remembered that my friend, she's sick. She's very sick-" Vera scoffed on the inside at her attempt at a lie, not believing her own words in the slightest.

"Well, then how about I take you out somewhere?" Kaidan suggested, his face now smooth with a smirk as he saved Vera's poor attempt at mending the situation. "I know it's late, but there's this little café in the Commons that is open twenty-four-seven…if you're interested, I mean."

Her first thought was, _In this?_ She plucked at the hoodie and fluffed at her hair with her nose scrunched up—and oh my goodness, he just asked her out on a date. Vera's hands dropped, her fingers catching slightly in her still-damp hair and bringing a few light brown strands with it. Her green eyes widened and blinked a few times, still processing what she had just heard him say. And he probably thought her rude for just staring at him incredulously after he just asked her out while she was just stunned, speechless even.

"Of course, yeah!" Vera cried when she finally found her voice, a smile breaking across her face as she bit back another scream, but now for a completely different reason. "Oh, but I'll have to change first."

"I didn't want to say anything…" teased Kaidan, putting a joking finger to his pursed lips.

_Hah, if only you knew that I wasn't wearing anything under it_, Vera thought with a nervous laugh. There was a split second where her heart was frozen with uncertainty, with fear that Kaidan would harm her. It frightened her so much that she nearly broke down into tears right then. But, it was gone as soon as it appeared, leaving a strange sense of safety in his company. _I can trust him. He won't hurt me_. Vera thought to herself while thinking, _You don't know that, you moron! You don't even know the guy. You don't know anything about him except his name and the fact that he's a handsome man_, at the same time. Surprisingly, the former thoughts won over with ease.

She must've been lonelier than she thought.

Kaidan grinned behind his finger, and there was nothing to stop the blush this time as it crept up her neck and flushed her face with a pale red. She wrapped her arms around herself, turning slightly away back towards the door.

"I'll be right back." Vera murmured shyly, stumbling a bit as she backed away blindly, her eyes still latched onto his gaze.

"I'll be right here," Kaidan replied, putting his hands in his pockets with that charming smirk still on his lips.

Vera giggled, completely drunk on his presence as she slapped her hand blindly on the door. Her touch eventually found the button, and the door jumped apart, unexpected and fast. Vera yelped, nearly falling through the now open space, but not before Kaidan's arms were catching her. Her own arms somehow found themselves around his neck, stiffened with the adrenaline released from her oh-so-life-threatening fall.

"What the-?"

Kedzie's curse was lost to Vera at the moment. She was only taking in his face that was mere inches from hers. Her green eyes held his brown eyes, both not sure of what to do next. His lips just a breath away…  
It was only then did Vera realize that her chest was pressed against Kaidan's, and they had unconsciously and entirely skipped first base and just slid right into second with a flurry of innocent, ignorant dust.

"_Gah!_" gasped Vera, tumbling out of his grasp with great speed, but not enough.

This time, Kaidan didn't need an explanation for this other episode of hers. He stood up, rigid with a red face and a mortified expression. Oh, wonderful. So he _did_ feel her…_Oh, good God_. Vera thought, completely frozen with humiliation with her hand clasped to her chest.

"I'll wait outside for you, okay?" Kaidan finally mumbled without meeting her eyes, gratefully escaping back into the hallway with the door sliding shut behind him.

Vera was still stuck to the floor, like her feet were cemented in heavy, stubborn concrete blocks. Her mouth was slightly agape, one hand still clutching the fabric of the hoodie on her chest. She blinked, pulled out of her trance by the toils of laughter from Kedzie.

"Oh, my God. You must _really_ like this guy!" Kedzie wheezed between her gasping laughs. "Like a whole fuck ton-"

A snort overpowered the rest of Kedzie's statement, which only made her laugh even more. Vera slowly turned her head to look over at her friend in the kitchen with an expression of pure exasperation. Kedzie was bent over, holding her stomach with a spoon in one hand. Her pale blonde hair was swept over her shoulder, obscuring her face from Vera's view, but Vera could picture Kedzie's face perfectly. Her dark eyes were scrunched shut, tears probably leaking from them at this point. Kedzie's nose would be just as scrunched, snorts issuing from the nostrils every now and then. And of course, her laughter itself was something that started from her toes and jigged up to her mouth.

Kedzie's laughter was a beautiful thing, in all honesty, and Vera knew she couldn't stay upset that long with Kedzie in the first place. She huffed, managing to snatch a pillow from the sofa and toss it angrily at Kedzie before her irritation left her system. Kedzie paused mid-snort, dropping to the floor to miss the projectile that soared over her head and landed on the stove with a sizzle.

"Vera!" Kedzie scolded as she jumped back up, picking at the pillow before it caught fire.

"Sorry!" Vera shouted back, evading guiltily into the sanctuary of their bedroom. "But I have to change!"

Kedzie yelled something else and Vera saw a flash of flame, but it became muffled and dark behind the closed bedroom door. She stood there for a second, soaking in the feelings of elation and purging those of awkwardness and slight fear. Her eyes opened, bright and excited, and Vera dashed into the closet the two women shared. Of course, Kedzie didn't have much other than the essentials, and so Vera's clothing took up the bulk of the closet.

Vera flicked through her clothes, finding nothing that seemed to meet her needs. This was too big, this one not the right color, and then this one was just ugly in general. Finally, Vera decided on a plain white shirt with black, cuffed sleeves that ended just above her elbow. After putting on the appropriate undergarments, Vera pulled the shirt over her head and yanked up some black pants. She ran her fingers through her light brown hair that was barely damp now as she shoved her feet into a pair of Kedzie's black calf-high boots. She glanced at herself in the mirror hanging in the closet, satisfied with her appearance, before walking back into the main room.

"You think this is appropriate?" Vera asked, adjusting the cuffs of her shirt.

"Do you really think I give a damn?" Kedzie asked bitterly, beating the slightly smoking pillow against the countertop with her eyes down. "Almost set the goddamn apartment on fire and all you care about is-" Kedzie paused in her grumbling and pillow beating to look up reproachfully at Vera, but was stopped short by Vera's sincere, apologetic look. "Dang, Vera. It's just _dinner_ at a _café_."

"Oh, goodness, it is too much, isn't it?" Vera flushed and fluttered her hands, turning back begin the excavation through her pile of clothes again.

"No, no! It's totally appropriate." assured Kedzie, dropping the pillow on the counter and moving to her friend. She tugged at the cuffs, smoothing them out. "Would be better if you actually wore your own clothing for once, though." Kedzie briefly smiled pointedly at the boots, poking at Vera's hair for a few minor adjustments. "Now, be safe and all that, especially if he takes you back to his place for-"

"Oh, yes. I'll be back later, Kedzie." Vera kissed her cheek as she would a sister, and then swept by her and out the door.

Kaidan was waiting very patiently, leaning against the wall across the hall with his hands still stuffed in his pockets. Vera caught the remnants of his blush before he recovered completely at the sight of her. He pushed himself off the wall, his smile meeting his brown eyes. Vera bashfully brushed a piece of hair behind her ear as he stepped close to her. Again, there was that split second of anxiety at his close proximity, but before Vera could question it, the feeling was gone again. Only the gentle touch in his eyes was there, comforting her in ways she'd never experienced before.

"Much better," He finally commented softly, offering her his arm.

She smiled, happily looping her arm through his. Vera had half a mind to put her head on his shoulder she was so comfortable with his touch. This was all so new and different compared to Connor, and Vera was loving every second of it. _Maybe those stories were true, Mom_. She thought almost ironically as Kaidan led her down the stairs.

"See, now? Stairs aren't scary in the slightest." Kaidan taunted playfully.

"Not as long as you're there to catch me if I happen to fall." Vera said without thinking, and her skin went cold at her own words.

But, instead of being awkward and who knows what else, Kaidan laughed. It wasn't even an uneasy laugh that would break the tension, no. It was a genuine laugh that filled Vera's chest with pure exhilaration and joy. He grinned at her, sending her heart flying off again.

"Then let's hope that I'm always around…" Kaidan trailed off, his grin fading as if his own words were misspoken, regretted.

She lowered her eyebrows, a bit puzzled at his words and the way his mood darkened so quickly. Although, Vera didn't get a chance to ask him about it since they were suddenly upon the café. She blinked, not sure how they could've gotten there so fast, but she didn't question it much as Kaidan pulled out a chair for her.  
The café, Apollo's, was a small, quaint little place in the Presidium. It had a couple round tables with no less than two, high-backed chairs waiting underneath. A bar was along one wall, the rest of the café surrounded by the scenery of the Presidium. It was so open and airy, something Vera didn't expect to find on the Citadel. There was a natural vibe apparent in the atmosphere, making Vera a bit homesick as she watched the fountains dance out across the lake. _A lake_, she thought with fascination as her green eyes swept across the reflective, calm surface interrupted every now and then by the spurt of a fountain.

Kaidan watched her awed face with a small smirk. He sat down across from her, putting his elbows on the table with his hands hugging his arms. Vera, her hands in her lap, turned her head this way and that to take it all in.

"I didn't realize you've never been to the Presidium." He commented.

"That obvious, huh?" Vera said with a slightly embarrassed smile as she looked back at Kaidan.

"It is a sight, though, isn't it?" Kaidan murmured, glancing around himself. "So, you must be fairly new to the Citadel if you haven't even seen the Presidium before."

"Oh, yeah." answered Vera. "Only got here about a month ago. Wish I had gotten here sooner, though. I didn't realize I was missing out on so much."

Kaidan nodded, waving down an asari waitress. She was at their table in seconds, her flirtatious smile aimed at Kaidan, not even batting an eye at Vera. Vera snarled on the inside, unexpectedly jealous of this asari's beauty. Then again, all asari were beautiful. And Vera suddenly discovered that she disliked the asari very much as this one threw herself at Kaidan, at her _date_.

"What can I get for you, hon?" The asari cooed at him, her sky-blue skin looking luminous under the Presidium lights.

"You guys still have those cheese sticks?" Kaidan asked back, his eyes not leaving Vera's.

Vera smiled with a rare sense of haughtiness. Powered by Kaidan's complete indifference toward the attractive asari, Vera reached across the table and fearlessly took his hand in hers. He raised his brows slightly, but played along by covering their hands with his other one. Vera was pretty sure that her heart exploded at this point. The asari looked between Kaidan and their entwined hands, still not looking at Vera; her pretty face openly betrayed her disappointment as she grumbled an affirmation before stalking away.

"Thank you," Kaidan breathed once the asari was gone, raising their clasped hands a bit from the table in reference. "You don't know how annoying that is, to be hit on all the time."

"Aw, poor baby." Vera teased, her words coming from that small space in her heart saved for specific, rare men who made her feel so free. Like Kaidan. And Connor. "That must be all sorts of awful. I can't even imagine."

"Hey, now." Kaidan said, his tone teasingly defensive. "I would think you could relate. I mean, look at you, with your simple, genuine beauty. You don't see that much nowadays." Vera blushed immediately, curling her free hand up and putting her fingers against her lips. "If only I met you sooner than the day before I leave."

Her breath whooshed out and skin went cold once more as her hand dropped to the table. Kaidan sighed, a sad and regret-filled smile on his handsome face with his eyes lowered to look at their hands. Vera noticed that she loved the way his unnaturally long eyelashes, which most girls would _kill_ for, brushed the tops of her cheeks, and how it was the most beautiful sight she'd ever seen.

Once her thoughts strayed back to his words, Vera tilted her head, not very sure she heard him right. She nearly asked why he was leaving when she remembered that he was with the Alliance Navy. Of _course_ he was going to leave. He was a Navy man, a man with duties to the Alliance.

"Leave…?" She repeated instead, her voice threaded with distress. "So soon?"

"I've actually been on shore leave for a few weeks now." It was like he was guilty for being on the Citadel for so long the way he spoke about it. "But, I'm glad I met you regardless. I'm not going to lie, Vera," Kaidan leaned forward, still holding her hand between his securely. "I've never felt this way about anyone, and a near-stranger, no less. There's something there, between us…do you feel it, too?"

"I was never one to believe in 'love at first sight' or anything like that," Vera agreed, her eyes bouncing between their hands and his intense eyes, pausing on his gaze as she said the word 'love' and gauging his reaction (which, there wasn't really one). "But I think I'm beginning to be proved wrong by the universe itself."

He smiled again, rubbing her hand gently with his thumb. Vera's heart sped up drastically at each stroke, and she nearly flew across the table to meet her lips to his. _Slow it down, Vera_. She told herself as she tried to think of something to say. But, she was enjoying the moment as it was; their hands knotted together in the serene silence, just being with this man who was beginning to change absolutely everything.

Kaidan opened his mouth to say something when someone called his name. He looked over her shoulder, and Vera turned to follow his gaze. A group of fellow Navy men, confirmed by their attire, were standing together at the top of one of the many flights of stairs. A few were making catcalls at him, gesturing to Vera while another, more serious one was waving at him to join them. Vera turned back to see Kaidan's lips set in a hard line as the sounds of whistling and howls carried across the Presidium. Vera reddened almost right away.

"Oh, my." She whispered. "I assume those, _ahem_, mature fellows are here to take you away?"

"I'm sorry, really." Kaidan told her, his hard eyes still glaring behind her till the wolf-whistles subsided into soft jeers. "Most are still just boys, unfortunately. They haven't had war to harden them yet, which is a good thing, I suppose. Hopefully, it stays that way."

"Then, why do you have to leave if there's no war or anything?" Vera questioned, desperate for any reason to have him linger even if she did sound a little daft.

"There's always something going on, Vera." He answered, his smirk revealing that he knew exactly what she was doing. "Just little things, most of the time." Here, he brought her hand to his lips, giving it a gentle kiss. "Nothing you should be worried about."

She bowed her head, feeling absolutely giddy as he put their hands back on the table. Vera was sure that he could hear her heart pounding at this point because that was all she could hear.

"I'll-I'll still worry, you know." Vera sputtered, her words tumbling out without thought. "That's just how I am."

"Well, I'd love to find out more about 'how you are' when I come back." Kaidan told her. "And I'll be sure to vid-call you whenever I can. Speaking of which…"

Kaidan relinquished his hold with one of his hands. His omni-tool appeared on his forearm, the orange light giving off a soft glow. Vera's own omni-tool popped up, causing her to start slightly. Kaidan put his forearm against hers, and the two omni-tools exchanged numbers, if you will. She relished in the way his arm felt against hers, warm and secure. It made her sigh in longing.

"There we go," He announced, pulling his arms back to brush his fingers across the holo-screens before both of their tools faded away. "I'll be sure to call as soon as possible. And I really am sorry that we didn't meet sooner. I hate to just up and leave you like this…"

"We all have duties to one thing or the other, Kaidan." Vera very much enjoyed the way his name tasted in her mouth, and she wondered why she hadn't said it more often. "And it's the entire galaxy in your case. I understand." _Though, I do wish we met earlier, but better late than never, right?_

"Hey-oh, Alenko! Let's _go!_" A red-headed recruit shouted. "You can schmooze later, but we gotta shove off."

Vera blushed again as Kaidan's fellow troops began their howling anew. Kaidan huffed sharply through his nose, that cute look of irritation back on his face. That only goaded the men on, their shouts and catcalls carrying all too easily in the open space. The few late night commuters strolling about the Commons gave pause, looking between the Navy men and the couple with slight annoyance before continuing on their way. Vera ducked down, covering her hot face with her hands.

"You better go before they come and get you." She mumbled behind her fingers. "I don't even want to imagine what _that_ would look like."

"Me either," Kaidan huffed, his narrowed eyes aimed over her shoulder. "So I suppose I'll give them what they want."

He sighed, though this time it was out of regret rather than rage. His rough fingers reached up, brushing her cheek softly. Vera closed her eyes, not wanting the moment to ever end. But, then Kaidan's fingers were gone from her face and her hands. She opened her eyes to see him stand up. He gestured for his comrades to wait a second, which got an impatient profanity from one of them that would've made even Kedzie's ears red.

"I'll call as soon as I can, Vera. Promise." Kaidan swore, covering her hand with his briefly before a new hand slapped on his back.

"Don't make me drag you by your ear, Alenko!" The same red-head from before was pulling at Kaidan's shirt from behind with a silly smile stretched across his young face. "Don't want to keep Cap'n waiting, do we?" Then, he looked at Vera for the first time, his bright blue eyes widening. "Well, well, I can see why you wanted to stay now."

"Go on, Peerce." Kaidan snarled, but Vera could spy a playful grin playing about his lips. "I'll be right with you guys-"

"Oh, no, no." Peerce broke in, pinching Kaidan's ear between his thumb and forefinger. "I didn't want to have to do this, but you've given me no choice." He nodded down at Vera with a smirk. "Ma'am, I'll be sure that he comes home in one piece."

"Peerce-!" Kaidan snapped, shooting Vera a look of assurance, telling her with his eyes that she didn't need to worry about such a thing at all.

"Have a nice night, now." The young naval officer strode away with a bad-tempered Kaidan in tow.

"Damn it, Peerce, I swear I would toss you in there air if I didn't have such a migraine—" _What does he mean by that?_ "Ow! Not so hard! As soon as I can, Vera, as soon as-!"

The rest of his words were overrun by the crowd of his comrades that swarmed him when they finally reached at the top of the stairs. She laughed upon seeing his arm shoot up in a wave good-bye among the small but mighty throng of naval men. Vera waved back, though she wasn't sure he saw it. They went down a hallway, toward the elevators, and were gone, taking all sound with them and leaving her in a painful silence.  
Vera stared down at her hands, suddenly overwhelmed with loneliness. The sounds of the fountains were somewhat comforting, though. She played with her fingers distractedly, at a loss of what to do next. Not that she didn't miss Kedzie, but Vera didn't really feel like heading back home. At the same time, though, she didn't want to just sit here by herself. The Citadel was still a new place to her, and who knows what kind of people sulked around at this hour.

She was still sitting there, contemplating and trying not to think of Kaidan not coming back to her when the asari dropped down a plate of still-steaming cheese sticks. Vera started, staring with shock at the cheese sticks like they were the asari's own tentacles, which then made Vera think of the stir-fry that Kedzie was making with the tentacles replaced with something else. She forgot all about those. The waitress snorted, putting a hand on her curvy hip.

"Scared him away, did you?" She gave a quick, dry laugh, and sauntered away snootily.

Vera glared after her, her hatred for the asari growing with each sway of the waitress's hips. But, she knew better than to snap back at her. It was common knowledge that all asari were biotically gifted, and Vera had no way to defend herself from a biotic attack. Oh sure, biotics were rarely seen back on New Canton, but there were a few colonists that came back with the implants. She quickly harbored an only-slightly-based-on-feared respect for the strange, yet beautiful, biotics.

Instead, she simmered and decided to be the mature one. She hated being the mature one.

Her glare moved down to the cheese sticks, and she had a brief moment of nostalgia of eating these rarities back home. Vera remembered them being all warm, crunchy and gooey, and she was sure that these would be the same. But, something inside her wouldn't let her eat them. The thought of bring one to her lips, in fact, left her feeling nauseated.

With a slight sneer at the plate, Vera stood up and slid her chair back under the table with a firm shove. She turned and clomped up the stairs toward the elevators. It wasn't until she was at the stop of the steps that she heard the asari shouting after her for not paying.

Vera almost turned around and showed the asari how wonderful her middle fingers were, but she just pretended to ignore the asari's curses. She did, however, glance over her shoulder to see if the asari was charging after Vera with her hands clouded blue with biotics. The asari was still shouting, but she was still at the table with no strand of biotics in sight. Vera wrinkled up her nose in a satisfied smirk before losing sight of the café and fuming asari as she rounded the corner.

Her resolve was gone, however, by the time she was alone in the elevator. Vera's shoulders drooped, a hand slapped to her face in despair. She had to choke back a sob, and it racked her whole body rather painfully.

Thankfully, though, it wasn't silent anymore. The speakers in the elevator were blaring something about a whole company of Alliance Marines that were killed by thresher maws on Akuze in the last few weeks of the previous year, but one member of the company, a Catelyn Shepard, managed to survive, and how they were erecting a memorial to remember the slaughtered by. Vera thought that depressing for the few seconds that her mind let her think of something other than Kaidan and what terrible things could happen to him. The newscast was then interrupted by a different newscast, and Vera's mind wandered absently until the elevator opened again.

With her arms tightly hugging herself, Vera stepped out and briskly walked up towards her apartment. She skipped the steps two at a time, wanting nothing more than to grab a galleon of rocky road with a large spoon and indulge forever. _As pathetic as that may be, it will be satisfying_. Vera told herself as she stalked into the apartment.

Kedzie, who was sprawled across the sofa and watching one of the older Blasto movies, stretched her head back over the headrest to see Vera upside down as she came inside.

"Well, hey there. Wasn't expecting you back so soon." Kedzie patted the cushion next to her, moving her legs to the coffee table that was covered with the aftermath of Kedzie's meal: her plate with barely a crumb left on the surface, at least three forks, a handful of napkins, and even the pot itself that only had a puddle of sauce left on the bottom.

Vera made a face at the mess, but her emotional state didn't care much for the muddle at the moment. It wasn't the worst Kedzie had left lying around, anyway. Vera wouldn't even dare to get into that. Instead, she tossed her head back against the headrest, staring up at the ceiling. Kedzie paused the movie with her omni-tool and then put a hand on her friend's leg.

"What happened, dear?" Kedzie asked sincerely, her brow furrowed slightly, but it abruptly narrowed as a thought crossed her mind. "Did he stand you up? Leave you there for some other chick? Was this some joke to him, or-?"

"No, Keds." Vera laughed dryly, actually somewhat amused by Kedzie's suggestions. "He had to leave."

Kedzie pursed her lips, a tick of hers she did when annoyed. She withdrew her hand and pulled her legs in, crossing them with her hands in her lap. Her eyebrow shot up suspiciously.

"Leave, huh?" She muttered, when she realized what Vera meant. "Oh. _Oh_. He got called back to duty or something?"

"Uh-huh," Vera confirmed as she crossed her own legs. "I had to go through the same thought process."

"And so he just decided to take you out to tell you…that he's leaving for God knows how long?" Kedzie questioned, narrowing her eyes again. "That's kinda a douche-move."

"He apologized for that, don't worry." murmured Vera, pulling her legs up to her chest with her chin on her knees. "Kaidan promised to call me as soon as he could, and he was really sorry about, well, everything. But still…"

Kedzie made a dissatisfied noise in the back of her throat, but didn't say anything. She draped an arm across Vera's shoulders and released a long sigh.

"So…rocky road?" said Kedzie.

"You read my freakin' mind."

* * *

During their indulgence of a whole galleon of rocky road that Kedzie just happened to have around, Vera went through the whole date with her. She was overcome with giggles when telling Kedzie about how she refused to pay and left with the fear of being attacked by an asari. Kedzie laughed so hard that ice cream painfully shot from her nose, dripping into her lap with a disgustingly thick consistency.

"Ugh, damn it, Vera. Look what you did!" Kedzie cried with another laugh, grabbing a used napkin from the table to clean her face and hands. "But, I bet it was that bitch Olania, or whatever her name is. I mean, it's kinda expected for asari to be promiscuous, but that one is just a straight up whore, from what I hear. Melds minds with whatever moves."

"Don't be stereotypical," Vera scolded, finishing off the last of the ice cream with one more spoonful. "But, she was a whorish bitch, flaunting herself at Kaidan like that with me right there. I mean, seriously! Who does that _but_ a whorish bitch?"

"Ah, you realize that you've said this Kaidan's name like any time you could, right?" Kedzie pointed out before discovering that the ice cream was gone with a disgruntled expression.

Vera gave an embarrassed shrug, fingering the spoon bashfully. She grumbled something incoherent as Kedzie snatched the spoon from her.

"No, it's actually really cute." Kedzie said while she tossing the spoons into the sink. "I know it's been awhile since we've been together, but I cannot remember another time where you've been so excited and down in the dumps at the same time." _Even with Connor_. Kedzie thought, knowing much better than to do that again. "It's great, really."

"You really think so?" Vera asked, twirling a strand of her light brown hair dreamily. "There's just something about him, Keds, that makes me…whole again. I know I sound like a creep, and it helps _immensely_ that he feels the same way, and he may be a complete stranger, but I'm finding out that I ache when he's not around. He makes me free, makes me say things and do things I normally wouldn't do, which isn't necessarily a bad thing-"

"My God, Vera. You met the guy _today_." Kedzie broke in with a smile, leaning her butt against the counter and crossing her arms. "How can you feel this way already?"

Vera chewed on her bottom lip, seriously contemplating Kedzie's question. It baffled her just as much as Kedzie. Her finger went limp, the strand of hair bouncing back to her shoulder. Vera brought her eyebrows together, racking her mind to think of a logical answer, when there obviously wasn't one other than…

"Love at first sight?" Vera suggested, her voice rising up higher at the end of the question than necessary.

They both held their composure for a good, and rather impressive, three seconds before completely bursting into uncontrollable laughter. Kedzie collapsed onto her hands and knees, her snorts punctuating every gasp of breath while Vera slammed her head down onto the sofa, a hand over her mouth. Both lost the ability to breathe correctly for a while, but Vera's laughter abruptly died out long before Kedzie's, who was now lying on her stomach, pounding her fists on the floor.

Vera sat back up, her brow furrowed again as she patiently waited for Kedzie's snorts to subside. She ran a hand through her hair, staring at some unseen point on the wall with so much intensity that it cut Kedzie's laughter short when she looked up at her friend. Kedzie took in a deep breath, pushing herself up onto her elbows.

"Wait, you were serious?" Kedzie questioned, her expression only slightly amused.

"I…" Vera turned her head to meet Kedzie's eyes, and Kedzie could see the answer clear as day in Vera's intense green eyes. "I think so."

Kedzie said nothing, her messy blonde pair sticking up in odd places from her run-in with the floor. Her brown eyes were wide with either surprise or shock, Vera wasn't sure which, and her lips were even parted into a perfect 'o'. Vera blinked, her mind completely blown by Kedzie's speechlessness. Never before had Kedzie been at a lost for words, and it gave Vera a twinge of satisfaction to know that she caused it. Vera sighed through her nose, a sound of exhaustion. And yearning. And a bunch of other things that she couldn't exactly pinpoint.

"I think I'm in love with him, Kedzie." Vera finally confessed in a hushed whisper, her face scrunched in confusion and hesitation yet threaded with pangs of clarity and certainty at the same time. "Oh, God. I'm so beyond confused." She put her knuckles against her warm forehead. "I think I'm gonna go to bed now."

Kedzie was still sprawled on the floor, staring open-mouthed at her friend. Vera slowly untucked her legs and stumbled across the room to the dark, inviting bedroom. Just as she was collapsing onto the bed belly-first, fully clothed, Kedzie came in after her. Her fists were tight on her cocked hips, completely recovered from her silent spell.

"What do you mean by _that?_" demanded Kedzie, eyes narrowed with her lips pursed again. "You don't believe in that stuff, do you?"

Vera groaned, rolling onto her side. She propped her head on her hand, lazily rolling her gaze at Kedzie, looming in the doorway. Vera tossed her other hand in the air in a shrug, bringing her palm back down with a slap onto the mattress. Kedzie raised her eyebrows, unimpressed, but relaxed her arms in defeat.

"I didn't before, honest." Vera called as Kedzie went back into the other room to turn off the light, which she could've done with her omni-tool. "But after meeting Kaidan…I don't know, Keds. I really just don't know."

She flopped back on her belly, her arms and legs stretched out with fingers splayed over the sheets. Vera heard Kedzie mumble something, probably a mocking curse, before she heard the rustle of sheets and the fluffing of pillows meaning that Kedzie was now on her own bed.

"We can talk about it later, I suppose." Kedzie muttered, her voice muffled as she pulled her shirt over her head to sleep in her sweats and sports bra.

"What is there to talk about, Keds?" Vera snapped, her voice suddenly harsh as she pushed herself up on her hands. "I don't even…" She screamed out of frustration, throwing her pillow violently across the room only to have it very anticlimactically slide down the wall and crumble to the floor. "I just don't know, okay! I said I _think_ I love him. It's not like I'm going dress shopping or anything, s-so-!"

She whimpered, her anger washing out of her in a sob. Vera brought her fingers to her head, pulling back her hair and digging her nails into her scalp. Kedzie was at her side in seconds, hands warily dancing about, but not touching her hysterical friend. Guilt ran through Kedzie's veins as she took in Vera's pure fear, the terror that she'd held in all day, etched into her pretty, simple features.

"I'm, I'm _terrified_, Kedzie." Vera whispered, her voice almost too soft to even consider a whisper. "Part of me is so scared of what he might actually be, if Kaidan isn't what he seems to be. What if…" Vera's petrified eyes were swimming in her tears, twinkling in the light peeking through the slats of the window blinds as she met Kedzie's concerned gaze. Her voice got even quieter, causing Kedzie to lean forward so their heads were nearly touching; Kedzie was now holding Vera's shaking hands. "What if he's just like, like Connor? What if-"

Here, Vera paused and pried one of her hands free to begin rolling up her sleeve.

"Vera, please, no." Kedzie gasped, clasping her hands over Vera's before the sleeve was curled above her shoulder. "You don't have to show anything, not like this…"

But Vera cried out, yanking the rest of the sleeve up to reveal her naked, scarred shoulder. Kedzie froze, trying to stare at anything but Vera's skin. But, it was all her brown eyes could lock onto.

Vera's beautifully pale skin was crisscrossed with all varieties of cuts: long, short, thin, wide, shallow, and deep. They layered over each other, making her skin look like a patchwork of irregular slashes that mysteriously seemed to create a distinct pattern. A horrifyingly perfect pattern of innumerous scars. And that was just _one_ section of it, _one_ shoulder, not even considering her thighs and spine…

Kedzie choked back a sob of her own, covering her mouth with her hand. It was the first time she'd ever seen Vera's scars, something she never thought she'd lay her eyes on. Kedzie felt her stomach tighten, not from nausea, but from complete pity, anguish, and most of all, rage. How _dare_ someone do this to someone else, especially someone like sweet, innocent Vera. It was inhumane, insane even. And seeing them now, as Vera was completely losing it, it felt wrong, inappropriately timed. Just…not right.

"What if he does _this?_" shrieked Vera, her tears racing down her cheeks as she raked her nails over her shoulder, sending red welts to rise and highlight a few of her scars. "What if he does worse, Kedzie? I don't think I could handle it!"

"Hush now," Kedzie murmured, finally finding her sorrow-cracked voice; it was a tone Vera never heard from her. "Everything's alright now."

Kedzie gently rolled Vera's sleeve back down, tugging it snuggly back into place. She then pulled Vera into a hug, Vera's head resting on Kedzie's shoulder. Kedzie put a gentle hand on Vera's head, holding her as the sobs slowly began to subside. Vera melted into her friend's embrace, wrapping her arms securely around Kedzie's bare, slimly muscular waist.

"I'm sorry," Kedzie whispered into Vera's hair, silent tears staining her face. "I'm sorry for making you think like this, for going too far, and I swear to God that I won't let anything like what Connor did happen ever again, Vera. I promise."

And Vera believed her as she clutched to Kedzie helplessly, her heart screaming and her memories flashing from the now to the then. Only her grasp on Kedzie kept her from slipping totally back into the past, back into Connor's bloody arms, and Vera held on till the morning light desperately.


	3. 3

_3_

"Vera, please, we both know this day is gonna be hell, so why don't you just stay home and rest? You could use it, you know."

"Oh, and you don't? Besides, would it really be better for me to wallow around all day and think of him, and how he might not come back, and if he does that he might be like-"

Kedzie groaned, running a hand across her face with defeat as Vera continued to argue her case with exaggerated vigor.

Both didn't sleep much that night, which didn't surprise either of them. Although Vera's face was more worn than Kedzie's, they both had dark half-moons bruised under their weary eyes and were yawning incisively. The thought of work made them shudder, but how good would it look to call in sick on the second day for Vera? Sure, it was something Kedzie could easily get away with for them both, but Vera was flat out refusing, like the stubborn young lady she was.

"Vera…" Kedzie tried again, knowing she wouldn't get anywhere.

"Let's go, Keds." Vera insisted, tying her hair back into a ponytail. "We don't want to be late _again _and miss yet _another_ case."

Vera holstered the C-Sec's complimentary Kessler pistol on her hip, turning to raise her brows impatiently at Kedzie. Kedzie was frowning, a strange looking expression on her usually amused face. It gave Vera pause. Her face softened as she brushed at the few free strands of auburn hair drifted about her forehead. She put an assuring, gentle hand on Kedzie's arm.

"I'll be okay, alright?" Vera murmured, her impatience now completely gone. "I need this. Trust me."

Vera tilted her head, gesturing for them to depart as the impatience came rushing right back. Kedzie, her forehead still wrinkled into a frown, sighed and patted her own pistol resting on her hip out of habit, just to make sure it was there.

"If you're sure…" Kedzie muttered, following Vera out the door.

"And I am." Vera sang over her shoulder, bouncing on her toes while waiting near the stairs.

Kedzie paused outside the door, bringing up her omni-tool to lock their door. The green screen that acted as the button to open it abruptly flashed to red, locked. Kedzie sighed once more, and then led Vera down the stairs, to the elevators. The ride down was silent, the chime-filled music playing through without a typical newscast interruption. Vera wasn't sure if that was good or bad. She crossed her arms, restlessly shifting her weight from foot to foot as her thoughts began to float free.

Part of her was sure she was acting this way because of her lack of sleep. The _other_ part of her, however, knew she was acting this way because she hadn't heard from him yet. Yes, Vera didn't expect him to call right away, but it's been half a day now. What the heck was he waiting for?

With her resolve completely and abruptly broken, Vera stifled a moan, the noise coming out like the whine of a dog. Kedzie glanced over at Vera, only to see her covering her face with her hand. With a sharp intake of breath, Kedzie slapped her hand on the 'emergency stop' button of the elevator. The elevator lurched, seemingly confused at the sudden halt. Vera stumbled, cursing as she threw her hands onto the door to stop herself from falling flat.

"What the hell, Kedzie?" Vera snapped irritably. "Don't you realize that there are probably, like, firemen on the way?"

_Are there such things as firemen here, anyway?_ Vera thought in the back of her mind as she pushed herself back into a standing position. For a split second, she expected that Kedzie would call her a moron for saying such a thing. She still didn't know much about the Citadel, to Vera's own dismay.

"I don't give a damn if the Councilors themselves are on the way because you shouldn't be here in the first place." Kedzie answered instead, surprisingly calm as she crossed her arms. "First of all, _he's fine_. And yes, it was that obvious once we left the apartment. Pretty much written on your face, but that was a nice mask that you put on for me. Give the man some time, for Christ's sake. He has a job to do, like us, but it's more than that. Did you really expect him to contact you _hours_ after he left? Jesus, Vera-"

"_Alright_." Vera interrupted, drained and wanting to shove Kedzie off her soap box. "I'm just…I'm still so, so _blargh_." She crossed her arms again, though the gesture was now more out of embarrassment than restlessness. "Can we just go to work now-?"

Her words were cut off by loud, metallic bangs that rang throughout the elevator. Both women jumped at the sound, which was issuing from the doors. They exchanged a look, Vera annoyed and Kedzie apologetic with even some regret in there.

"Are you alright in there?" They heard a voice shout, though it sounded warped through the metal. "Stay calm. We're trying to get you out, but what happened?"

With yet another rare expression, this time of embarrassment, Kedzie smacked her hand over the emergency button again, and the doors flew apart. A group of C-Sec officers that were crowed around outside the elevator jumped, startled as they took in the pair of women standing, unharmed, in the seemingly-perfectly working elevator.

One of them, a human, was on one knee to the right of the elevator, his arm lit up with his omni-tool as he attempted to tap into the elevator controls. His fingers froze, tinted the same orange as the tool. A turian, who turned out to actually be Garrus, of all the hundreds of turians on the station, was standing directly in front of the door. He must've been the one that banged on the door. His face darkened with exasperation and anger at the sight of them, and Kedzie offered a smile in return, easily sliding back into her arrogant self.

"Of course," Garrus drawled, turning to wave off the other officers. "False alarm, everyone. I'll handle this."

The turian turned back to them, the other officers stalking away with the same annoyance painted across Garrus' face, but with much less intensity. _If looks could kill, _Vera thought. Kedzie attempted to step by him, like nothing had happened, but Garrus matched her steps, keeping them trapped in the elevator.

"Not so fast." His tone was the definition of angry infuriation that made Vera shudder with apprehension. "What-?"

"We need to get to work, Garrus." Kedzie cut him off, trying to dance around him again to no avail. "What're you doing on 'elevator duty', anyway?" She used air quotes to exaggerate as she attempted one last time to maneuver past him. "Still slow, I assume?"

"Actually, because almost no one in the entire history of the Citadel has had to use the emergency button," Garrus explained heatedly, finally reaching in to grab both of their wrists with his hands, no where near gentle-like, and yank them out. "No one knew what the warning was about. Luckily, with all this _riveting_ activity going around I was able to discover what all the little flashing lights on the consoles meant." He began to lead them away, the women trailing behind him like a pair of misbehaved dogs. "Still slow, indeed. Still tossing us around. And yes, that was a nice attempt to distract me, Kedzie, but I was going to tell you all that anyway."

Kedzie snorted with doubt, rolling her eyes while she tried to wriggle her wrist free. But Garrus only tightened his three fingers around her even more. Kedzie growled, continuing to struggle in attempt to save her dignity, but only destroying it more with her somewhat pathetic struggling. However, Vera was allowed to slip her hand free. Garrus glanced at her with an apologetic expression that she returned with a small shrug paired with a grin and raised eyebrows.

In the last month or so since Vera's arrival, the three of them had gotten very close. Before Vera came around, Kedzie and Garrus were, at the very least, considered coworkers. Even then the term was used very loosely. He was sure to keep this rebellious and renegade, even compared to himself, IA officer at arms length, but it all changed with Vera's presence. It was like Vera was the bridge connecting Kedzie and Garrus, allowing this friendship to wink into existence. None of them really knew how the threesome happened, and none of them were questioning it much. Now, they were inseparable, like siblings.

Indeed, Vera easily considered Garrus like a brother to her, a sibling that she never had. He was everything she ever dreamed of for a brother, actually: somewhat awkward at times, can be very sweet, passionate about his ideals, pretty darn adorable in a brotherly way, and only sometimes embarrassing.

Like now, for instance, as he tugged hard on Kedzie's arm to cut off her curses. Vera glanced around, smiling contritely at those who stopped to stare at this sight. And, boy, was it sure a sight.

"What? Oh, she gets off the hook, huh?" Kedzie snapped, gesturing wildly to Vera's free wrist. "_She's_ the reason I pushed the damn button, anyway!"

"Hey, now." Vera flew to her defense, pointing an accusing finger over Garrus' head at Kedzie. "You, actually, had _no_ reason to push the button!"

"Oh, didn't I?"

"No, there was no reason-!"

"_Spirits above, will you both just shut up!?_"

And shut up they did. Vera clamped her teeth close so fast that she felt her jaw lock up while Kedzie bit down on her tongue, the metallic taste of blood quickly flooding inside her mouth.

Along with the other attributes Garrus had as brother to Vera was that when he was upset, he was _upset_.

She quickly muttered an apology, letting his awaiting fingers curl back around her outstretched wrist. Both suddenly lost their fighting fire, letting Garrus pull them along silently to the precinct. Kedzie narrowed her pale brown eyes, shooting daggers behind Garrus' back at Vera. Vera cringed away, ducking her head low between her shoulders to hide from said glares.

"There." Garrus grumbled, finally tossing their hands away upon reaching the precinct.

Kedzie scuttled away immediately, muttering curses over her shoulder darkly with her fists tight at her sides. She stormed into the Executor's office, slamming the door so loud behind her that all activity in the room stopped. The chatter of coworkers and tapping of keys was cut short, all eyes glued on the still trembling door. Then, all at once in an incredible act of synchronization, the eyes moved over to Vera and Garrus.

With wide and nervous eyes, Vera stepped closer to the turian, trying to just disappear. All eyes were on her, wondering who this newbie was. Most hadn't heard about Kedzie's new partner because most of them wished to keep C-Sec's star IA agent out of mind for obvious reasons. A few officers narrowed their eyes at Vera, almost like a threat. _Message received,_ Vera thought as she shuffled closer to Garrus, their arms now touching.

Thankfully, once the screaming started, all eyes snapped back to the door. Vera covered her face with a hand, mumbling into it as Kedzie's voice penetrated the door. Her words were muffled, though her tone was obviously angry and annoyed. Faintly, Vera could catch snippets of the Executor's much calmer voice, although there was a telltale strain in his tone that said he wasn't happy with Kedzie's behavior.

_You and me both_, Vera thought, taking a slight step behind Garrus to physically hide from the stares and glares that began to creep back in her direction. Garrus finally caught on once he glanced down to see Vera's flushed red face and anxious eyes.

Garrus, not nervous at all, gave a slight nod of his head while his beady blue eyes crossed the room from one end to the other. All sound immediately came rushing back and all goings-on resumed, batting at Vera's ears at a distressingly loud level. She didn't even notice when Garrus had, much more gently, taken her wrist and began to lead her back to Kedzie's office space. She finally snapped out of it when Garrus started to talk to her.

"Don't be intimidated by them." He was saying softly. "Kedzie makes them all nervous, to say the least."

Garrus dropped her hand, and Vera saw that they were not in the main offices she first saw, but the little side room that Kedzie and Vera chatted in upon her arrival. Only, now there were two generously sized desks instead of a sofa. It took Vera a second to remember that she and Kedzie were moved into this room to be away from, well, everyone else. She was suddenly very grateful for that.

While Vera moved forward to pick up a couple trinkets on Kedzie's desk, Garrus watched her apprehensively. He wished he wasn't so hard on them both the second his rage spilled over. It obviously wasn't a good night for either of them, revealed through their dark eyes. He nearly asked what happened, but thought against it at the last second. The turian was sure he'd find out eventually, anyway.

"It's all bark and no bite. Trust me." Garrus assured her, putting a much gentler touch on her shoulder.

Vera could only give a half-hearted smile before Kedzie burst into the room. Her face was still twisted with annoyance, but Vera could spot the triumph in her expression. Still, she made sure Garrus was placed protectively between the two of them.

"Hah! We got one, oh, did we get one, Vera!" Kedzie announced, slapping the holochart onto one of the desks with a flourish. "Go on, read it up."

Vera glanced between Garrus and Kedzie before snatching up the chart and dancing away from Kedzie's general area.

"Sick bastards, those are always the best to nail." Kedzie was saying with much enthusiasm as Vera read the holochart.

Garrus gave an awkward smile, nudging Vera with his elbow to save them both from Kedzie and her gruesome ramblings.

"So, what's the case there, Vera?" The turian asked.

"What?" Kedzie broke out of her reverie, her pale brown eyes narrowing. "You can't know anything about this. IA business! Shoo, shoo!"

She turned Garrus around, pushing him towards the door. He protested, but Kedzie was one relentless woman. With a final slap on his hindquarters, Kedzie closed the door behind Garrus' embarrassed face. She turned back to Vera with a hand on her hip, grinning from ear to ear.

"Well, did we get one, or what?" Kedzie demanded playfully, skipping over to stand in front of Vera. "…Vera?"

Kedzie's grin vanished, replaced with a worried frown as she took in her friend's expression. She could see the glazed look in Vera's green eyes, the look of pure terror that Vera saved for one person and one person alone.

Vera's heart had frozen, but her blood was running hot through her veins. Her fingers were holding the holochart so hard that her knuckles were a ghostly white. She didn't even read the report. She didn't need to. The picture of their target was more than enough.

Finally, her lungs began to work again. Only, before Vera could drop the holochart and release a scream worthy of a banshee, her omni-tool tweeted the alert of an incoming message. She jumped, breaking her eyes away from the screen to see that it was finally Kaidan.

"Vera-" Kedzie breathed, suddenly piecing it all together as Vera threw the 'chart to the ground and answered the call.

"Kaidan!" Vera cried, the fear now somewhat hidden behind her eyes as Kaidan's face popped up on a screen issuing from her omni-tool.

"Vera," He smiled, obviously relieved to see her. "Sorry I didn't call earlier, but I was held up here at, well, I suppose I can't tell you _where_ I am…" Kaidan paused, looking past Vera briefly to see Kedzie holding the holochart with a shocked expression. "Am I interrupting something again?"

Vera turned her head over her shoulder, shooting Kedzie a desperate kind of look. Kedzie frowned, her forehead wrinkled up in distress. She had quickly reread the report about a newbie at the precinct that was harassing a couple of the women, or so the women claimed. He was a nice guy, everyone else said. The women in question were not the most modest of women, so of course no one really took them seriously.

The man accused of such doings was strikingly handsome with navy blue eyes and dark red hair, as depicted by the picture with the report. He was vividly familiar to Kedzie, and she didn't know why until she watched Vera's reaction:

_Oh, God. Impossible_.

"Vera…" She whispered in disbelief, clutching the 'chart close to her chest.

Vera closed her eyes, steeling herself against the onslaught of tears and years of pain. She turned back to Kaidan, opening her eyes to see him staring back at her with worry. A feeble smile managed to creep onto her face, and she tried to speak, but Vera's throat was too constricted for a few moments.

"Vera?" Kaidan murmured, his fingers unconsciously coming forward as if to brush her cheek but stopping short upon remembering he couldn't touch her. "What is it? Should I call back later-?"

"_No._" Vera yelped, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "I'm alright, I really need this right now, anyway…" She paused, opening her eyes again. "I miss you."

"Vera." Kedzie hissed, moving into Kaidan's view to stare him down menacingly. "I hate to interrupt, but this _is _a rather bad time. She'll call you back later-"

"_Ahem_," Vera stepped in, her hard eyes narrowed at Kedzie. "Speak for yourself, Keds."

"Oh yeah, Vera?" Kedzie snapped, punching the mute button on Vera's omni-tool.

"What the hell, Kedzie!" shouted Vera, moving her hand to unmute the message, but Kedzie grabbed her hand roughly.

"Hang up." Kedzie ordered. "We need to talk about this." She poked the unmute button, and keeping her eyes on Vera, said, "Talk to you later, Navy boy."

She ended the transmission with a wave of her fingers, the orange glow of Vera's omni-tool disappearing. Vera screamed, shoving her hands free and pushing Kedzie in the chest. Barely being moved an inch at Vera's weak attempt, Kedzie only ran a hand over her face, sighing deeply into her palm. She moved her hand up to her hair, holding her bangs up.

"You bitch!" Vera yelled, tears gathering in the corners of her green eyes. "Don't you realize that I need him? I-I need him to keep me, to keep me…Oh, God."

Vera collapsed, her hands curled into fists, resting on her forehead. She cried out, shaking her head back and forth almost desperately.

"No, no, no, no!" Vera screamed, beating her fists in time on her head. "It _can't_ be-!"

"Shh, Vera." Kedzie fell beside her friend, grabbing her hands to cradle them between her own. "Listen to me; we don't know anything for sure, so-"

"But we do, Kedzie!" whispered Vera, her eyes streaking with tears. "You may have never seen him, but…" Her voice trailed off, and Vera closed her eyes, turning her face away. "I'll _never_ forget his face."

Kedzie glanced down at the holochart, the man's face smiling almost mockingly up at the two. Her blood boiled with rage as her arms brought Vera in a tight, assuring embrace.

How the hell could that prick be _here?_ How long has he been here, and why didn't Kedzie know about it? Was he here because of Vera? What the hell were they going to do?

Kedzie smashed her fist down on the holochart, sending waves throughout the screen, but leaving it stubbornly flawless otherwise.

* * *

Kaidan stared at the blank transmission screen, his brow furrowed deeply. He may not have known Vera all that long, but he knew something was wrong by the way she looked at him. Her eyes were pleading, tear-stained. He reached his fingers over to call her back, but hesitated.

If Vera wanted to still talk with him, she would've called back. Right? But, then again, that friend of hers (Kedzie, was it?), seemed very final with her good-bye. Maybe she was…jealous?

_Oh, God_. Kaidan thought, leaning back in his chair. _I don't know women at all, do I?_

He sighed, blowing out the air between his lips like a horse. With a wave of his hand, Kaidan closed his omni-tool, leaving him in a dim light from his desk light. He suddenly hated himself for not taking a picture of her. It would've gone right there, between his light and dog tags. It would've been a picture of her smiling, her beautiful emerald eyes crinkled up in laughter. The thought of her smiling brought a smile to his own lips.

It was strange, really, this whole situation. Never before had Kaidan had such luck with the ladies. He was always so awkward, even with the women in his company. One of them showed interest in him, that is before he tripped up on his biotics and smashed a tray into her face. Amidst the flecks of food, her nose turned out to be broken. His chances with her flew out the window.

He had been very reluctant to venture forth into the world of women since.

"Alenko!"

Kaidan perked up, turning his head to see the young red-head, Peerce, come prancing into the room they shared at this base. His young blue eyes darkened slightly as he took in Kaidan's expression.

"Everything alright, Alenko?" He inquired carefully, one pale orange brow raised.

"Oh, um, yeah. Just…just, you know." Kaidan gestured vaguely about him, suddenly flustered. "I was…"

"Ah, talking to that lady friend of yours, were ya?" Peerce's face broke into a smile as he tromped over to Kaidan, putting a friendly arm over his shoulders. "Jeez, man. I don't think I've ever seen you like this."

"We've only know each for a couple weeks, Peerce." Kaidan pointed out, crossing his arms and thunking his feet on the desk in an attempt to play off his nerves. "You haven't seen every side of me yet."

Peerce shrugged, tugging his own chair over to sit next to Kaidan. He leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees and resting his chin in his hands.

"Come on, Kaidan." The rare use of Kaidan's first name made him perk up slightly. "You can talk to me, you know that, right?" Peerce insisted with a friendly grin.

"Well, yeah. Of course, Mason." Kaidan replied, dropping his legs back to the ground in seriousness. "It's nothing to be that worried about, anyway."

Peerce sat back up, a finger covering his lips in thought. Then, in a swift movement, the young man swiveled his chair around, now resting his chin on the chair's back with his hands holding on either side. His blue eyes bored into Kaidan's brown ones, all joking now suddenly put aside.

"Is that right?" Peerce finally murmured, his voice doubtful.

Kaidan shrugged uncomfortably. The two sat in silence, Peerce just staring at the older man. Kaidan avoided the stare, examining his short-cut nails and digging out any dirt or grime underneath. He glanced down at Peerce to see the boy frowning up at him. Kaidan blinked, caught unawares at this eccentric young man's unhappiness.

"Peerce?"

"What's going on, Kaidan?" He said gently, prodding Kaidan in the arm with his fingers. "What, is she not gonna wait around for you, is that it?"

The faint trace of a smile was on Peerce's face, giving Kaidan a small smirk. He gave in, tossing his hands in the air in an exaggerated shrug.

"Yes, that's it." Kaidan answered sarcastically. "She already ran off, and with a turian."

"Ouch, that's cold."

"Hey, now. You got something against turians?"

"Oh, I didn't mean it like that…" Peerce looked away, scratching the side of his neck distractedly with hard eyes.

"Just messing with you, private." Kaidan reached over and ruffled the boy's hair affectionately, although remembering how Peerce's father was one of the men killed during the First Contact War with the turians. He made a note not to mention something like that again, even in a jovial manner.

"But, seriously. She's…" Kaidan trailed off, almost saying 'fine' when Vera obviously wasn't fine. "I'm not sure. Vera was very-"

"Ah, so _that's_ her name." Peerce cut in, putting his chin back on the chair.

"Yes, Vera." He couldn't help but smile as he said her name; it filled him with such delight, something he's never felt in his twenty-seven years. "She seemed distraught about something, but her friend cut her off before she could tell me what was wrong."

Peerce tilted his head slightly, his lips pursed in thought.

"Well," He finally said, drawing the word out and holding the 'l' much longer than necessary. "Just call her back, huh?"

"I was thinking about it, but her friend looked…" Kaidan swallowed; He didn't know Kedzie that well, only meeting her briefly when he went to Vera's apartment. She seemed a nice person then, but when he saw her stern and serious face glare down at him, Kaidan wanted to go hide in a corner. "She wasn't very happy. It seemed that they needed to talk things out, and I didn't want to bother Vera again if they were in the middle of something…"

The younger man jumped up from his chair, spinning it back to his desk. He clasped a hand on Kaidan's shoulder.

"Come on, then." Peerce jerked his thumb towards the door. "Let's go eat at the mess; I'm starving. You can call her back after."

Kaidan sighed, pushing himself out of his chair. He tossed his arm out, gesturing for Peerce to lead the way. Peerce pounced ahead, gabbing now about what he was going to eat. Kaidan, however, was only half listening. With his hands stuffed in his pockets, all he could hear was the desperation in Vera's voice.

* * *

Vera's screams did not go unheard. A few minutes after Kedzie ended the transmission to Kaidan, Garrus was pounding on the door with demands of being let in right that second. _Spirits, I knew something was wrong…_

Kedzie had managed to drop Vera into her chair. She made a note to herself to make sure they got that sofa back. With a quick glance at Vera, which was nowhere near comforting, Kedzie opened the silver doors a crack. Garrus' beady blue eye was all she could see.

"Kedzie, what's going on? Will you let me in?" The turian demanded, his eye trying to search past her.

"Is it just you?" Kedzie murmured while she glanced around him.

"Yes, yes." Garrus answered impatiently. "Now, let me-"

Kedzie slid the doors open the rest of the way, grabbed Garrus by his collar, yanked him in roughly, and then slammed the doors shut seconds after he passed the threshold. Before the crack was sealed, Kedzie could glimpse the forms of bodies beyond the doorway. _Just him, my ass_. Kedzie thought bitterly, turning to see Garrus already kneeling by Vera with his hand around hers.

"Vera? Are you alright?" His voice was unnaturally soft, caring. It gave Kedzie a start.

"I…" Vera only stared open-eyed over at Kedzie, begging for her to answer for her as her voice trailed off.

"Garrus," Kedzie stated simply, stooping down to pick up the still-perfect holochart. (After smashing her fist into it, Kedzie also kicked it, threw it against the wall, and even attempted to bite it. Not her best plan. Her teeth still felt funny.)

She merely handed the 'chart to him, gently taking his arm with her other hand to pull him away from Vera. While Garrus didn't know everything about what had happened to Vera in her past, he knew more than enough. What Connor had looked like was included in this knowledge. And when Garrus saw those navy blue eyes and blood red hair, nothing else needed to be said other than:

"_Shit_."


End file.
